“Tell them the truth,” he said. “You finally got the house to yourself and want to enjoy it.”
I smacked my lips. “They’ll just invite themselves over.”
He laughed. “Aight… Uhh, hold on.”
I could hear him thinking. Then he said, “After covid, no one wanna be around any sickness. Body aches and a fever will make everybody stay the fuck away.”
I covered my mouth laughing. “That’s terrible.”
“But effective,” he replied. “And if you worried about being seen,” he added, “you can just park in my garage.”
I sat on the edge of the tub, staring at the floor. I knew it was wrong. The conversations were already wrong. The kiss had crossed the line. A night out together… that was stepping over it. But my mind kept justifying it as just one night going out and having fun.
I hated how easily my thoughts started working for him instead of against him.
“I don’t do reckless and messy,” I said seriously, letting him know.
“I know,” he replied. “That’s why I’m doing everything intentional to make sure you stay in the clear. I’m the single one, remember.”
He was right. I realized what scared me wasn’t him. It was how badly I wanted to go.
I had never done anything spontaneous that wasn’t scheduled, practical, or family-approved. Every memory of my twenties felt like fun that had structure.
And there was a night I couldn’t plan. A version of me I’d never met.
If I said no… I’d always wonder. If I said yes… there was no pretending I didn’t choose it.
I closed my eyes.
“They won’t be back until late tomorrow evening …”
I didn’t know if I said that for him or for me.
“…okay.”
The response wasn’t loud but to my own ears, it was.
“What should I wear?”
“None of that fancy stuff. Be comfortable. I’m giving you a glimpse of my world.”
My stomach flipped and I almost threw up. From what Niv had told me… his world wasn’t mine. That scared me, but not enough to stop me.
The GPS displayed that I was less than a mile away when my nerves kicked into overdrive. The sun was starting to set, like the world was winding down and I was just stepping into something.
Stacks stood at the end of his driveway waiting, one hand in his pocket, the other lifting slightly to guide me forward.
“Straight… straight… a little more,” he said, walking backward as I pulled in.
I pressed the brake gently.
He nodded. “Perfect.”
Before I could even put the car fully in park, the garage door was already lowering behind me, sealing the vehicle in from the outside world.
I glanced over to the passenger seat at a small bag before tossing it into the backseat. I’d packed light toiletries and loungeclothes. Nothing crazy. Just in case we came back early and talked or watched something and I wanted to be comfortable.
I shoved it farther behind the seat because I didn’t want him thinking it was some spend-the-night-whore bag.
